BOYS BASKETBALL: Westchester puts on clamps, pounds Palisades

After spending the week hearing about the message Palisades delivered to Western League boys basketball rivals with its lopsided victory over Fairfax, Westchester didn't waste time making a statement of its own.

The Comets allowed one field goal in the first quarter and continued to dominate in a 65-42 victory Friday night against second-place Palisades, keeping host Westchester undefeated in league play and alone in first place entering the final week of the regular season.

"We were excited," said Comets senior guard Matthew Grant, who scored a game-high 13 points. "We knew they beat Fairfax by like 27 points, so we knew they were going to come out with a lot of intensity and we had to match that."

Any momentum the Dolphins (17-8, 7-2) might have gained earlier in the week was quickly snuffed out by Westchester (21-5, 9-0) as the Comets finished the first quarter with a 23-4 lead.

"I think that's the fewest points we've allowed in a quarter since I've been here," Grant said. "We didn't set that as a goal, but it was nice."

The Comets were nearly as stingy in the third quarter when they held the Dolphins to six points.

No Palisades player made more than two field goals, leaving the Comets wondering how much more one-sided its victory would have been if not for so many fouls, which led to 20 points on Dolphin free throws.

"They were struggling with their shooting," Azzam said. "We did a great job on the boards so they didn't get second and third chances. But it would have been even better if we hadn't fouled so much."

The Dolphins' Dakota Chambers was the biggest beneficiary of the fouls. As the lone player to score in every quarter, the 6-foot-8 senior made eight free throws for 12 points.

Westchester spread its scoring around with 11 players contributing. Kevin Rutledge had 10 points and Tyler Batiste added eight points and six assists.

Although the win was more pleasing than last month's 69-60 win in which the Comets trailed much of the first half, Friday's second quarter kept Westchester from being entirely satisfied. The Dolphins used a nine-point run to outscore the Comets 18-12.